By James Call
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-898438.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Governor Charlie Crist is deciding whether to skip the Republican primary for U.S. Senate and run as an Independent in November. He has until Friday to decide. However, James Call reports while Crist's deliberation has members of his party stewing, it has delighted political analysts and has some voters soul searching.
A Coffee Party chapter organizational meeting begins with people discussing whether Florida Governor Charlie Crist is a poll-chasing empty suit. Nancy O'Farrell is a retired teacher and union activist and said it may be genetically impossible for her to pull a lever for a Republican candidate.
"There is a flicker of hope that he actually responded to all of that grassroots pleading to please don't let this thing happen."
O'Farrell is sitting with nine other people on a Saturday morning in a Tallahassee Atlanta Bread Company. Charlie Crist threw her a curve ball when he vetoed a bill effectively eliminating tenure for school teachers. That move angered powerful Republican allies of former Governor Jeb Bush and opened a new rift between Crist and the Republican base while Crist campaigns to be a U.S. Senator.
"I know he is a politician and I know he's got an agenda, and God bless him. But still, he did it People can make a difference within the party system that we have. I wish that he could do what Joe Lieberman did in Connecticut, but apparently our election laws don't permit him to do that."
What Senator Lieberman did was lose a Democratic primary, and then win the general election as an Independent. Crist's feud with his party's power structure has brought together Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, voter and writer in a festival of commentary and speculation. Editorial cartoonist Andy Marlette drew a piece depicting an elephant-like creature labeled Crist. It suggested that the governor is more highly evolved than other politicians.
Crist reacted by saying, "God bless Andy. He's a very talented guy, isn't he? He really has a way with a pencil."
Others were more willing to discuss the idea behind the picture. Charles Pattison is president of 1000 Friends of Florida, a 24-year-old group that monitors development policies at the local, regional and state level. He said he suspects that Governor Crist's political dilemma represents a politician reacting to the evolution of the body politic. That is, Crist isn't changing, but the governor apparently thinks the voter has.
"Maybe that's like the canary in the coal mine analogy of, okay, you're starting to see some of the first indications that there is a real change and Florida being an example, but possibly that's happening around other parts of the country."
Something is going on. Nevada has a record number of candidates running for the Senate. Upper Midwest states report a statistical significant increase in third party/Independent candidates. An ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 48-percent of respondents are dissatisfied with the federal government. The poll was cited in a story about the hollowing out of moderates in Washington and state Capitols.
State Senator Dan Gelber is a Democrat and a candidate for Florida Attorney General. He laughs when asked about the governor's problems with his party. However, Gelber suggests that voters in general and Floridians in specific are responding to a different drum beat than the one elected officials hear in the Capitol hallways.
"Up here people define themselves too much by their party and some dogmatic ideology. The governor I think seems to be free from that and relying on his core sensibilities, which I think is a good thing. I think there is too much partisanship in government, and there is certainly too much partisanship in Tallahassee. So, I think unquestionably he stands out when he is liberated from a lot of the moorings of party dogma."
The deadline for candidates to submit paperwork to qualify for a federal office is Friday. When asked by the Palm Beach Post last week what his intentions were, the governor spoke generally about ideals and the concept of belonging to a group.
"First and foremost, people need to be loyal to their convictions and values. I think that is true of all of us, and parties are important, and I've enjoyed very much being a member of the Republican Party."
The governor has raised about $10-million as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. If he does run as an Independent, Crist was asked whether it would be right for contributors to ask for a refund.
"Anybody has the right and the opportunity to ask. I think we spent it, though."
Two deadlines this week may be coloring the governor's deliberations. Noon Friday is the deadline for candidates to submit paperwork for a federal office. Friday is also the scheduled end of the Legislative Session which requires lawmakers to pass a state budget. Although the Legislature has mostly ignored the governor's budget recommendations, he does have a veto pen. Governor Crist's decisions will affect millions of Floridians and maybe national politics as well.